


Names

by Zorua_Illusion



Series: Genyatta Week 2018 [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Day 2: Pet Names/Nicknames, Established Relationship, Genji and McCree are friends, Genyatta Week 2018, Other, bad hotels, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 02:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorua_Illusion/pseuds/Zorua_Illusion
Summary: Genji and McCree have a discussion about nicknames, movies, and Zenyatta. Not strictly in that order.





	Names

It is, unsurprisingly, McCree who asks Genji. Of all the old guard, McCree was the one closest to Genji, and of course the guy who gave nicknames to everyone within two seconds of meeting them would ask about Genji’s nicknames for his partner.

Or, in this case, the lack of his use of nicknames for Zenyatta.

It was one of those missions, one where something doesn’t go according to plan and messes the rest of it up but they still somehow manage to win the day with minimal damage (just some bruises and superficial cuts from debris). Frankly, Genji and McCree are tired and just want to get back to base, but they won’t be able to get transportation back until tomorrow morning at the earliest. On the bright side, the two have a room in a little motel that’s small enough to drop off the map and shady enough that the employees know not to ask questions.

With this comes the lack of anything except the standard room in the Americas – two single beds, a rickety wood desk in front of a grimy window with a Bible, an almost empty notepad, and a dead pen in its drawer, and a bathroom so small that McCree could stretch his arms and touch both walls on either side – so the two look to each other for entertainment as they wind down.

After McCree asks, Genji just stares at him. It is hard to gauge what he’s feeling with the mask in place, but McCree has spent long enough with the ninja to know he’s just thinking on how best to phrase his thoughts.

“I am not one for giving nicknames unless I am teasing or insulting someone, as you know,” Genji starts. McCree nods, having been on the other end of that himself a few times. He then proceeds to stare at Genji expectantly – part of being friends during their time in Blackwatch meant that McCree knew all of Genji’s tells and vice versa, even if the cyborg had his facemask in place.

“That is the easiest answer, but not the complete one.” McCree can imagine Genji’s frown as he puts his thoughts together. “Perhaps it is because of my own nickname, a name given to me in jest and never used in… an encouraging manner. After this-” Genji gestures to himself in a way so casual that if McCree were anyone else, he’d be beaming with pride, “- they were just reminders.” Genji doesn’t elaborate, and McCree doesn’t need him to.

“But the other, larger reason I do not have any nicknames for Zenyatta is because that is who he is. He chose his name, what he wanted to be called. It is his identity. It feels almost… wrong, to ignore that. ‘Master’ and ‘Zen’ do not count in this – he permitted both of these; he was the one who initiated their usage by me.” Genji shrugs. There are many pieces left unsaid, but he has no idea how to put into words his thoughts and feelings. How does he begin to tell McCree about the only other “names” Zenyatta has are “omnic” and “bot” and other, worse things? How does he describe the notions he feels behind them, how does he express how awful seeing Zenyatta’s shoulders slump the tiniest fraction makes Ramen chirp in the back of his mind that the dragon really wouldn’t mind taking a small bite out of those who hurt the omnic, and that it is always a fight to not draw his sword and let the dragon do just that?

He doesn’t know. So he doesn’t.

McCree nods, accepting his answer. He shifts his gum to the other side of his mouth – he’d smoke, but he doesn’t particularly feel like going into the courtyard outside and Genji hates the smell, even if his mask can filter out most of the chemicals. So he chews his gum and stays quiet, not really finding much purpose in talking.

Genji, meanwhile, leans back in his bed and goes stock still. If McCree didn’t know Genji as well as he did, he’d assume the ninja was asleep.

“What’chu up to?”

Genji twitches and waits a few seconds before answering. “Ah,” he says, almost embarrassed, “we are watching a movie.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“Jumanji – the video game one.”

McCree paused. “There was a different one?”

Genji pauses, and McCree becomes aware that it is quite possible that Zenyatta is on the other end and Genji is holding a conversation with him as well.

“The one we were watching was a modern spin on the classic. As modern as 2017 can be. The original was a board game instead.”

“Huh. Interestin’,” McCree hummed, leaning back in his own bed.

“Would you like to watch with us, McCree?” Genji offered. McCree waved him off.

“I ain’t about to go intruding on a date of yours, partner.”

“It is not a date,” Genji stated. If the two weren’t already together, McCree would’ve called it a bluff with how quick the response was. “And Zenyatta is the one who asked.”

“Aw, shoot, I can’t say no to that face.” It was true – the omnic carved a little place into quite a few of the teammate’s hearts and McCree was no exception. Anyone who helped his friends for the sake of helping them was good in his book. McCree moved over next to Genji who removes his mask. It’s a little awkward, watching Jumanji as they take turns holding the mask, and Zenyatta has stopped typing since neither of them could read it and still both be watching the movie, but Jesse can feel Genji relax next to him as the movie progresses. When the movie finishes, Genji reattaches his mask and goes back to that statue pose he has when he’s focusing on some feature of the helmet. Once the cyborg relaxes once more, McCree asks: “Excited to go back home, partner?”

He can almost see Genji’s full-face grin. “Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact 1: Jumanji is a good movie, and I figured that since Genji played a lot of games in the arcade he would at least appreciate some of the humor. (I was the only one laughing in the theater during the part about NPCs. Rest in pieces me.)  
> Fun Fact 2: Genji loves Zenyatta and thus is usually eager to spend time with him and getting to see him again. There are some days were Genji just wants some space, of course, but generally he’ll always welcome Zenyatta.  
> Fun Fact 3: McCree is happy that Genji found some inner peace, in my world, because Genji wasn’t 100% a dick all the time and McCree could understand why Genji felt the way he did, so the two were close friends. He’s over the moon that Genji found someone that helped him.  
> Fun Fact 4: Genji and Zenyatta very easily could’ve video chatted, but then you’re talking over a movie and neither of them are fans of that unless they’ve seen the movie before. Instant messaging allowed real-time conversation without interrupting the action. (How, you may ask? Genji has the kind of keyboard where you look at what you want to type and Zenyatta’s an omnic who can put thought into text, so long as he is connected.)  
> Fun Fact 5: Art? Art.  
> https://mizz-zi.deviantart.com/art/Day-2-Pet-Names-Nicknames-730795940


End file.
